The Registrar of Trade Unions has officially registered and recognized the Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET), marking the end of a long-running court battle with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), after the trainers were transferred from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to the Public Service Commission (PSC).
According to registration certificate seen by Education News, KUTVET was officially registered on October 22, 2025 with its registration number being TU/197.
“It is notified that the Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET) has been registered under the Labour Relations Act,” reads the registration certificated signed by the Registrar of Trade Unions.
Speaking to Education News, the union Secretary General Kepher Oguwi confirmed the registration noting it is a big milestone for TVET trainers since they now have a union of their own and which will fight for them.
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Oguwi noted that the union has been operating under an interim certificate that was issued in July 2017 acknowledging the delay in registration and recognition to a fully-fledged union to a number of court battles he has been in with KUPPET over union dues and transition, when TVET trainers were moved from TSC to PSC in 2018.
“We were operating under interim certificate since 2017 but I am now happy that we are a fully-fledged and legally recognized as a trade union. It has not been easy. After we got the interim certificate, court battles started with KUPPET and we’ve been in and out of court since then, something that dragged the registration,” said Oguwi.
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“Initially we were members of KUPPET but when we transitioned to PSC, they moved to court to challenge the transition and they won the case, but I later moved to court on a separate case to challenge that and I won the case, and they were told to stop deducting union dues from our members. The matter is now fully settled that’s why we are now registered as a trade union,” he added.
Other officials of the union include Geoffrey Obuoyela (Chairman), Julius Kipkorir (1st Vice-Chair), Juliet Nyakwaka (2nd Vice-Chair), John Oigara (Deputy Secretary General), Mary Mugweni (Assistant Secretary General), Hannah Mburu (National Traesurer), Rebecca Adhiambo (Assistant National Traesurer), Robert Simba Yusuf (Organizing Secretary), and Margaret Ikiara (Assistant Organising Secretary).
By Roy Hezron
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